Its Here or Nothing
by The Rose of Hedylogos
Summary: Katjaa never killed herself, but Kenny still was lost. Katjaa made her way to the stranger with Lee and after he met his unfortunate demise Clem went with her. 16 months later Katjaa has become a hardened woman. She's not to sure who she is anymore, all she knows is her only care is survival, but will it stay that way when she runs into someone she believed to be dead?
1. Finding Clementine

HELLO! Welcome to my story! Thanks for clicking it! Alright! Before I forget to mention...

**1. Kristal-Dynamite, thank you for the lovely cover for this! :D I love it!**

**2. This is in Katjias's POV so keep that in mind. **

:D thanks for clicking! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Onto the story!

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><p>KATJIAA'S POV<p>

"Katjiaa just," Lee looked at the door before turning his gaze back at me, "Just stay out here. if things go south-"

"Lee, don't," I shook my head and shushed him, "I've already lost enough." I looked to the ground. Kenny was lost to a herd while trying to save Christa, just a half hour ago.

Lee sighed, "Katjiaa, I'm a dead man walking. I was bitten. We just have to get over it."

"You cut it off!" I protested. Lee just lifted my head so that I could look him in the eyes.

"Wait out here," He demanded and I gave him a single nod. With that he left me in that hall and entered the hotel room. I sighed, knowing that it would be unlikely that he would be coming out of that room. Clementine has run off with some man, in search of her parents. Lee and the rest of us wandered off to find her. Lee got bit, walker came out of nowhere. That girl is going to be heartbroken.

Loss. It's all around us. I felt tears threaten to fall down my cheeks as images of Ducks smiling face ran through my mind. My baby boy always had a smile on his face. I loved him more than anything else in this world. He was my baby, my creation, my reason for living. When Kenny and I set him at the base of that tree, I desperately wanted nothing more than to put the guns barrel to the side of my head and pull the trigger. I nearly did before Kenny stopped me. Kenny saw what I was going to do, and tackled me to the ground before I had the opportunity. I begged him, with tears in my eyes to give me the gun and let me end this.

And of course, Kenny couldn't let me go. He told me that this would be hard, it would tear both me and him apart. But he needed me. Needed me and wouldn't let me go. That, he couldn't lose us both. I understood, I knew what I wanted was selfish. But how do you move on from that? The death of your child? I couldn't look when Lee raised the gun up, ready to put a bullet through Duck's head to be sure that he didn't come back as one of those things. I was like a husk after that. I refused to talk, I wouldn't eat. Christa sat in that boxcar, mindlessly rambling about how it would get better for at least two hours.

I was interrupted by my thoughts when I heard something being thrown. I hesitantly turned the knob and opened the door. Lee was pinned to the ground, by another man. I froze, not knowing what to do. The stranger continued by placing his hand to Lee's throat in an attempt to choke him. My heartbeat ran up and I tried to run over to them both. But My body seemed unwilling to move. I wanted to yell at this new man to stop and to push him off Lee, but I stayed frozen. I was taken out of my trance with a loud, "BANG,"

This man who I hadn't known fell limp, with a new hole through his head and his blood leaking to carpets. I slowly turned my head, and saw little Clementine holding a gun in her hands. Smoke coming out of it, she put it down and began to shake. Lee rushed to the girl and squeezed her into a hug. Clementine willingly walked into his arms, "I," She stuttered, "I... I"

"Shhh," Lee hushed her, "It's gonna be alright."

I felt my heart sank. Poor girl. I didn't interrupt Lee's and his adopted daughters moment. They exchanged their words, slowly Lee stood up and I moved so that he could open the door. He did so, and waiting for him was a walker. I let out a yelp and backed up, however to my surprise, the walker just stood there, doing nothing. A good thirty seconds passed before Lee sunk his butchers knife into the undeads head. That's when I began to worry. Why hadn't the walker bitten Lee? Can it sense the infection in him?

"It didn't bite you," Clementine verbalized what we all were thinking.

"Why?" I asked and felt a little out of place.

"You're covered in all that," Clementine looked for the right word, "Gross stuff."

Lee looked at the both off us, almost apologetically. He kneeled down and flipped the walker on it's back. What is he... oh no. Clementine seems to realize what was going on, her little eyes widened. Lee sliced the walker open and put a little bit of its blood around him. He picked up some intestines and told Clem to turn around. SHe did so, and let out small whimpers and the cold blood made contact with her clothes. I kneeled on the other side of the walker and smeared the insides of the creature on myself. I did the same as Clem, letting out horrified sounds and felt the urge to vomit at the new smell.

"Sorry guys," Lee looked at us after we were done. we looked horrible. Lee turned to clem and smiled, "Here," He said, placing her beloved item to her hands. Her eyes perked up and her mood lifted almost immediately.

"My hat!" She exclaimed, she must never have expected to see the dirty old thing ever again, "You found it!" She looked up at her guardian, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome sweet pea," He caressed her cheek with his thumb. And with that we made our way back to the entrance. I kept shivering at the feeling of walker insides on my clothes. Clem took one of my hands and tried to comfort me. I mentally blushed at the thought that the nine year old girl was braver then me. We left the motel and the sound of moaning and growling immediately made contact with my hearing. I looked at the crowd with protest written all over my face. None the less, I followed behind Lee as we slowly stumbled around the dead.

I wanted to close my eyes tight and rip my hair out. I was freaking out. I bumped into one occasionally and the walker would face me, their milky white and colorless eyes looking right into mine and seeing nothing. It would only be for a second, but that was enough to creep me out. Their pale eyes would look at me and their mouths would move as if they were trying to communicate with me. I tried to focus ahead of me. I turned my head to the side, looking beside me to make sure that the little one was alright. And it seemed she wasn't. I saw Clementine, frozen in fear.

The young girl let out a whimper and her eyes filled with tears. I turned my attention to where she was looking. Nothing seemed different. Dead people, walking around us. Two of them were standing by each other. Just standing. Not moving around like the others. I looked back at Clem. Her body language suggested that she wanted to reach out to something. She probably would have if her legs could move. I was confused why had they interested her? My heart dropped when I came to realization. She must have recognized the pair of walkers as her parents. That's the only people she could know around this area.

"Clem?" Lee wheezed before he passed out. His body landed to the ground with a loud, 'thump'. Clementine flinched, slightly surprised by the noise. I once again looked around us to make sure that Lee's fall didn't attract them. Luckily, it hadn't. I didn't feel less afraid. I would have screamed if I thought it were safe to. Clementine exited her trance. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes and a worried expression on her face.

"Katjiaa," She quietly exclaimed. Taken out of her frozen state, but not moving her eyes of the undead couple, "What happened?!"

To afraid to speak, I kneeled down to Lee. Hesitantly, I placed my two fingers on his neck where his pulse should be. I let out a breath of relieve when I felt a slowing heartbeat underneath my finger tips. And the small rise and fall from his chest suggested that he was still alive. Looking around again, I wrapped my arms around Lee's torso and did my best to drag him.

"Let's go, Clem" I somehow managed to speak, "We have to go."

"What's wrong with Lee?" She quietly asked, ripping her eyes from the walkers around us.

"Shh," I hushed her, "We'll talk later."

She only acknowledged this with a simple nod. I continued to drag Lee's taller figure as I walked, with no destination. Thankfully, the dead had seemed to ignore the sounds of Lee's body sliding across the street. This wont work. We need a spot. My blue eyes dashed around when I saw it. A nearby store, one I couldn't recognize. It's label had been smudged out due to time having it's way with it. But it seems safe. I began to walk my way to there and Clementine followed. It took awhile, but I had finally reached the entrance. I entered before I gently laid Lee down and put the shutters down.

"Thank god," I muttered and breathed. I looked behind me to where Clementine was hovering above Lee.

"Lee?" She patted him repeatedly and her voice defined panic, "Lee? Lee?! Please don't be dead! Please, no!"

Processing what was going to come next, I intertwined my fingers together and lifted them in front of my mouth. Tears filled my own eyes as I softly looked at her, my voice quivering when I said, "Clem..."

"Lee wake up!" She kept shaking him. I was considering whether or not to tell her right then about what happened, but my thoughts were interrupted when I heard Lee awake.

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><p>And that is the end of chapter one! Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be out soon!<p>

PLEASE REVIEW!

BATMAN (Yes, I'm Batman) OUT ;)


	2. And Then There Were Two

:D thank you to those who reviewed and thanks for the kind words. I'm happy people like this so far.

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><p>"Lee!" Clem breathed when she saw her guardian moved, visible relief on her face, "Lee! I thought you left me!"<p>

The man groaned in pain. That was when I noticed how pale he looked. The brown sucked out of him. He sat up, hissing while doing so. He moved his head to look over at me, allowing me to get a good look at his face. His eyes had huge bags under his eyes and his whites were now tinted yellow. He had blood splatters all over his clothes. His stump wasn't looking so well. It looked ready to spurt out puss and blood. He looked so different then he had when I had dragged him in here moments ago. There was no way to sugar coat it. He looked half dead, which I suppose he was.

"Lee?" I asked, cautiously approaching him, "How are you feeling?"

He gave me a sad look before he shook his heavy head. He looked over at Clem, then back at me, "Katjaa, time's up."

"Time?" Clem questioned, looking at the both of us puzzled.

"Clem, honey," Lee's raspy voice dripped with emotion, "My arm is gone because I cut it off."

She had an instant reaction. Backing away slightly and slowly, she looked at him with wide, terrified eyes, "Why would you do that?"

"Because," He looked at her in an apologetic way, "I was bitten."

"No," She shook her head and denied this, "No! That's not true!"

"Yes, honey," Lee sadly stated, "It is."

I felt my eyes water up again. I looked to the ground, saddened by what was playing out in front of me. Deciding to give them their privacy, I wandered around the store. I heard growling and my face snapped in it's direction. There, as predicted, was a walker. For some reason I tried to open the door. It was locked. If I broke the glass on the door I could probably reach in there and turn the lock.

Looking around again, my eyes landed on a baseball bat. Tucked away on one of the shelves. You find the oddest thing in some of the oddest places now a days. I curled my fingers around the handle. Picking it up, I swung it a bit, making sure that it wasn't to heavy. Which, it wasn't. When I turned, I heard Clementine's sobbing and some words being whispered. I put on a sad expression, before returning it to the door. Looked at the glass and with one fatal swing, it was destroyed. I reached in and unlocked the door.

When I opened the door, I was able to get a good look at the walker. He was strapped to a chair, wearing a police uniform. My eyes traveled to the keys that were held by his belt, and next to them were his gun. Those could be useful. I looked at the dead man with worried eyes.

Now, you must know that I've actually never killed a walker before. If Lee were healthy, I would've asked him to do it. But he's not. Lee's dying so I'm going to have to figure out how do these kinds of things. I swallowed before inching closer. Bat in hand, my shaky legs took the fist step. His arms reached out for me, hungering for my flesh. I felt a shiver go down my spine and I wanted to run. _Kat, just do it! You need those things!_

I listened to myself and sent a hard swing to it's head. I could hear the 'clank' when the contact was made. I felt small beads of blood land on my cheeks, but the walker wasn't dead. Letting out a scared breath and shaking a bit, I did it once more, thanking god that he was trapped where he was. Still alive. Darn. I shivered a bit more before sending a much harder hit down right on it's skull. I felt like screaming when the dark red blood splattered around again.

I sent my hand to my stomach, honestly feeling like I was about to vomit. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at the sight in front of me. But I had to. I breathed before opening my orbs and walking even closer to the thing that was dead, for good this time. I kneeled, and grabbed the two things that I had killed it for. I looked at the gun. I don't even know how to use one of these. I should probably learn. It seems to be quite easier to live with one. Eager to leave the disturbing scene, I returned to my companions with the things I had found.

"Lee," I said as I kneeled down beside him, "I've got keys to the back door. C'mon let's go."

"I cant," He wheezed out.

Clementine had tears streaming down her small face, "Lee, you have to!"

"It's not over yet," I said, "Please Lee."

"Kat," He sighed, "I cant even walk."

"Lee, please," Clementine sobbed, "Please just try to get up!"

The man did as he was asked. He slowly moved onto his feet, but as soon as he got up he just slumped down again. I helped him move a bit, so that he would be more comfortable.

"Clem, honey," Lee sadly said, "I'm sorry, I just cant."

"Lee!" She whimpered. Crying, she continued, "Please?!"

"Clem," A tear of my own fell down, "Clem, shh, it's alright."

The girl just cried. Not being able to help it, all her tears fell from her eyes. She reached out to give Lee a hug, one he accepted and returned. He muttered something that I couldn't hear into her hair. His eyes opened and his weak eyes looked over at me. He ran a hand through Clems hair and hugged her a bit tighter.

"Clem," Lee said, finally letting her go, "Go wait in the other room. Katjaa and I need to talk."

Clem, being the good girl she is, just muttered an, 'alright,' before walking into the room where the walker had been. I watched her as she sadly trailed ahead of us, probably knowing what was about to happen. Even though I didn't quite know myself.

I looked at Lee, his figure in so much worse shape then the time I had met him. I inched closer, placing the gun and the keys to the ground and put a comforting hand on the dying man's shoulder.

"Lee?" I questioned, "How long?"

"Katjaa," he looked at me with a serious expression. His voice shook with stern and demand. Ignoring my question, he said, "That girl, she need you now. I was suppose to take care of her, but I cant now. I want you to treat her like your own. You protect her. You help her. You save her. You care for that girl in everyway you possibly can! Don't let her lose herself. Don't let her slip away and lose her humanity. Keep her safe."

Another tear slipped out, "I will."

"Promise me."

"Lee, I-"

His eyes looked desperate, "Promise."

After a moment, a nodded my head, "I promise you, I will look after Clem."

He leaned his back against the wall. His head lazily moved to the side. With a raspy breath, he wheezed out, "Good."

I tapped him, seeing him slip out of consciousness again, "Lee?"

"Kat," He said, "It's time."

I simply looked at him, "What do I do?"

He motioned for the gun, "Please, don't let me become one of those things."

"I looked at the weapon on the floor. I felt my blood become cold and my heart beat a bit quicker as a realized what he was asking of me, "Lee... I cant."

"Please," Lee said, "Please."

I was about to protest again, but then I remembered what he did for me. Duck was in the same position, sitting at the bas of a tree and slowly dying. The pain was so bad that I was ready to kill myself. I tried, but they didn't let me. I was in no shape to... take care of it. Kenny simply couldn't, but then there was Lee. Lee ended my baby boy's suffering even though it must've been horrible experience for him. Lee did that for me. he did my family a great service. So I should be able to do the same for him.

"Alright," I whispered as I picked up the gun. I cocked the handle back like I had seen the others do it so many other times before. I pressed the barrel to his head and whimpered out, "I can do it."

"I know you can. I believe you can," Lee said, "Thank you."

"No Lee, thank you." Before he could say anything more, I pulled the trigger and the gunshot bounced of the walls. My whole body shook and Clementine's cries became louder.


	3. Strangers

HELLO!

Alright, bad news first: I don't know when the next update will be. My internet isn't working at the moment for reasons unknown and I just happen to be at the library, so I don't know when the next update will be. It could be days or it could be weeks. I don't know.

Good news: NEW CHAPTER! Now, I decided to make Clem a bit more childish and Kat REALLY hardened. It'll only get worse from here ;)

I'll go ahead and skip review time this time.\

ONTO THE STORY!

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><p><strong>16 Months later<strong>

I blankly watched the flames of the campfire jump up and down as I sat on the cold, hard log. Up and down, up and down yellow and orange colors went. Sending warmth to my cheeks (Which were now thinner, along with the rest of my body, due to all the exercise I had to go through.) making my flesh a bit pinker then normal.

I kept my light blue orbs on the dancing scene while I continued to clean my knife. I ran the cloth that was white along the sharp blade. I removed my eyes only once to look at the items in my hand. I noted that the weapon was becoming dull and would soon need to be replaced. The cloth was now a crimson color, due to all the blood it has washed off of multiple things. Blood was rather common now.

The past year hasn't been easy. The girl and I went back to the train, only to discover nobody had been there. Christa and Omid haven't been seen at all since then. So we looked. Looked without any success. This left me alone with her. I've had to learn a lot. I had to learn to shoot, to hunt, to look, to make shelter, to kill, to not care. Just figuring out how to survive in general. I have kept my word to Lee. Keeping Clementine safe hasn't been the easiest of jobs, and it cost me a lot.

_Protect her as if she were your own._ Lee had said that to me. he wanted me to treat Clem as if she her my daughter. I had promised I would.

That is the only part of the promise I cant go through with.

Clementine was a lot of things. She was smart, loyal, a survivor, and she's saved my life at least a dozen times. But lately she's felt more like a burden then an ally. There are things I cant do since she's here. There are places I cant go and it just seems a drain on my own resources. You cant just have people around. you got to keep yourself alive, even if it means others get hurt. These are things I know I wouldn't have thought months ago. And I know it. I'm changing. Clementine is too.

"Katjaa!" Speak of the devil, "Katjaa!"

I snapped my head towards her and hissed, "Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry," She mumbled. She had somehow kept some of her childish innocence. I don't know why I protect that, but I do, "But there are people at the fake camp."

The fake camp is an area nearby where I set tents to lure others away from us with.

"Really?" I asked, something between disgust and a smirk on my face, "I thought I told you to stay away from there."

She looked away, "Sorry, but I just heard voices so I thought that I should've figured out what was-"

"When I tell you something," I kept my voice stern as I looked at her, "You listen and obey. I cant have to running around like that. Understand?"

Her shoulders slumped, "Yeah... alright."

I looked over my shoulder, recalling what she had just said, "How many people?"

"One," She answered, "One, I think."

That's all? That should be easy to take care of. I gave a simple nod. Tossing the rag aside, I slipped my knife back into my boot and grabbed my handgun. Clementine looked at me nervously.

"You're not-" She crossed her arms, "You're not going to hurt anyone else, are you?"

"We'll see," I answered. I got up from my seat and started waling farther into the woods. I called back, "You stay there, Clementine."

She called something back, but I didn't listen. I avoided stepping on any twigs while I made my way. Once I was close enough, I lowered myself to the ground and hid among the bushes. My hair (Which was now always tied into a ponytail) ran across my back. I crept closer to the camp. I didn't notice anybody, until I heard something being rutted around. I lifted myself up slightly, trying to get a closer look. My eyes landed on someone's back. Their shirt was an orange color that had a weapon strapped to it and wavy brown hair rested at the top of their head.

"Shit," The person sharply whispered. Male. Clearly male. He was looking through the empty cans I set by one of the stumps facing away from the bush, "There's nothing here."

I tried to keep my breath quiet, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike. He wondered around the camp, looking around and moving things here and there. Eventually, he unzipped the tent. I smirked, knowing how the scene was about to play. I moved around the bushes as he looked inside the tent. He crouched down, probably to move some of the stuff I set in there. That's when I did my part. I gently pushed the leaves aside with one of my hands (keeping the other with the gun close to my chest) and snuck up behind him. Thankfully, I had gone unnoticed.

I pressed the barrel of my gun to the back of his head, "What have we here?"

The man tensed up, "Whoa... calm down."

"Who are you?" I wasted no time to ask questions. I looked at the weapon on his back. Now that I could see it more clearly, I could tell it was a machete. With my other hand, I wrapped my fingers around the handle and took it out of it's holder. I lifted it a bit more towards the sunlight, "Nice toy you got there. Where'd you get it?"

He tried to turn his head, but I wouldn't allow it, "You know, I might be a bit more willing to answer any questions you have if you put your gun down."

"That's not what I asked you," I said as I put a bit more pressure between the gun and his head, "What's your name."

He sighed. Seeing now other choice he answered, "My names Luke."

"Luke, huh?" I asked, casually, "You by yourself, Luke?"

He swallowed, "Yes. It's been just me for awhile now.

_Liar. _I tossed his machete aside, putting it out of both our grasp, "Stand up."

He obeyed. He slowly lifted himself up. I tried to keep the gun pressed to his head, but I wasn't capable since he was a bit taller then me. So I aimed it at his neck, making sure he was aware that it was still there.

"Hands up and turn around," I gave another order. Once again he obeyed. Ever so slowly he moved. I finally got a better look at his face. His facial hair was no more then a stubble around his mouth and all the way up to his cheeks.

I moved a bit closer and used my free hand to feel around his pockets, "You got anything on you?"

He eyes his weapon a few feet away, "Not anymore."

"You travel light," I observed, "Especially for one person."

Luke shrugged, "Don't want anything to keep me back if I have to make a run for anything. Plus I like to move around."

My hands had moved to his arms, making sure nothing was up his sleeves. I continued testing him, "No food, no water... nothing other then the machete? You must have a camp or something somewhere where you keep all your stuff."

He nodded, "Yeah, I do."

"Really?" I asked, still suspicious of his story, "How long have you been around here?"

"Couple days," he said as I moved down to his shoes, "Not very long."

"You just said that you like to move around," I pointed out, "Why'd you stop?"

"Got hurt," He responded, "Taking time to heal."

I was done checking, so I just held him at gunpoint, "What's your injury?"

"Umm," he hummed, "Busted my foot. It's better now though."

I was about ready to question him more, but then another voice spoke.

"Hey Luke!" The voice called, "You ready to head back?"

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><p>As I said, I don't know when the next time I'll be able to update is, so please be patient.<p>

BATMAN OUT ;)


	4. Seperated

MY INTERNET IS BACK!

Yes, I have returned! Did you miss me?

REVIEW TIME:

Kristal-Dynamite: Yes, I agree. Thank you for the suggestion. But I plan on giving you pieces of the past throughout the story. It'll all come together sooner or later. Trust me here ;)

Someone Finally: She wont nessesarily a younger Sarah. She's still our little badass, just a little less badass.

Nuke4lyfe: Aww thank you!

z0mb3xor: :) glad you're liking it. Thanks for the constant support. And good to know, bout Kat I mean.

ONTO THE STORY!

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><p>My head turned a little at the sound of the alert. I probably tensed up a little, seeing that I had another threat that I had to worry about. I looked back at Luke, hoping my stare would burn a hole into him.<p>

"Luke!" The voice, which sounded male as well, called out yet again, "Luke! Get the hell out here!"

The man looked at me with his dark eyes, a hint of fear hidden in them. I stepped a bit closer, a bit unsure of what I was about to do. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and bringing his head closer to me. I placed my lips next to his ear.

"Get. Rid. Of. Him." Venom coated my voice and my grip on him was tight.

I heard him swallow before I allowed him to back away slightly and holler back, "Hey, Nick, you can start heading back to the others without me! I'll be there in a bit."

"What for?" The man, Nick, said, "You know I'll get an earful of Pete if I go back without you."

The trees rattled and I heard his footsteps get closer. My heart pumped a little bit more and I couldn't help but take a deep breath. The other man emerged from the forest. He took one look at me and his jaw dropped open. I didn't hesitate to turn my gun on him instead, and squeezed the trigger. The gunshot rang throughout the area, but I seemed to have missed. My target suddenly moved from his original position and I felt my hand with the gun jerk back.

Luke had grabbed me in an attempt to save his fellow survivor, but I wiggled out of his grasp. I looked to the ground, where Luke's friend and Clementine were.

"Clem!" I hissed, "Are you crazy?! I could've hit you!"

She looked at me, wide eyed. A mixture of hurt and disbelief laced her tone as she said, "You were going to kill him!"

"What the fuck!" Nick looked at me with anger, "You were going to fucking kill me!"

"Nick," Luke pushed past me to confront his friend, "Are you alright?"

"No!" He hissed, pointing at me, "No I'm not fucking alright! This bitch almost shot me!"

Not taking kindly to the insult, I narrowed my eyes at him and spat back, "Call me a bitch again and next time I wont miss!"

"You were going to kill him!" Clementine repeated, looking at me with a bit of rage herself, "Why would you do that?!"

"Damn it Nick," Luke sighed, "I told you to go back!"

The man in the brown-red cap gritted his teeth, "You aren't seriously blaming this on me! She tried to fucking shoot me!"

"I mean," Clementine continued from her last statement, "They didn't do anything!"

I looked at her, "I thought I told you to stay where you were!"

"Everybody calm down!" Luke begged of us, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath in and out. He looked up at the sky, which were filled with a few birds that were flying away, "That gunshot rang out for miles!"

My ponytail tickled my neck as I looked around. I gave a slight nod before saying, "And god knows what's nearby!"

Everyone put on a scared or nervous expression, most likely for different reasons. I listened for anything out of the ordinary, waiting for something to jump out of nowhere and eat one of us. I noticed Luke look at me, and when I returned the glace he turned his eyes away.

"Right," The brunette man said, "Everyone just... cool off."

Clementine nodded, "that would be good."

I felt myself grow paranoid as I kept looking over my shoulder, "Do you think anything heard the shot?"

"No doubt," Nick put in, "Those undead bastards hear pins drop."

Clementine looked up at Nick, "You swear a lot."

He smirked, "Get over it."

"Nick," Luke rolled his eyes, but smirked, "We need to get out of here. We may-"

He was interrupted by the all to familiar sound of growling. A walker, that seemed to have once been a young lady, stumbled out. Luke didn't wait to pick up his machete (Which was still on the earth floor where I threw it) and forced the sharp end into it's skull. Following that walker, came another. Luke repeated his actions, but then came another. He backed up slightly, panicked by the amount of undead on our tails.

I heard more of the sounds behind me and spun around. One of them where stumbling toward me. It was to close for comfort. Out of instinct, I aimed my gun at it and pulled the trigger, hitting it right in between it's eyes. We were soon surrounded. I heard Clementine say something, but I hadn't concerned myself with what it had been. I turned to see another one had inched closer to her. I once again shot my gun, hitting this one in the forehead.

"There are too many of them!" Nick shouted, "Luke, I got nothing!"

I looked to him before handing him my gun, "Don't you dare make me regret giving this to you!"

"he gave a simple nod, not saying anything as he took aim at one of them. I lifted my leg up to reach the knife hidden in my boot. I swiftly stabbed one in the head. We all went around, killing the walkers who were seen as a threat. Even Clementine, who had grabbed a very long stick and kept stabbing them in their milky white eyes. It hadn't been horribly long until I heard a small yelp come from behind me and I turned to see Luke pinned under a walker.

I didn't do anything, I kept killing the ones that needed killing and taking care of myself. Nick was to far away, along with Clementine, to help his friend. But that didn't stop him from calling out to the other man. Luke eventually saved himself, grabbing a nearby rock and smashing the dead's head in. He picked his machete back up and killed yet another one.

It was then when I realized how far away our other two companions were from us. I turned and tried to call out to Clementine, but Luke grabbed my wrist, causing me to look at him.

"We have to go!" He informed me, "Now!"

I looked behind us, "But Clem-"

"She's with Nick, he'll take care of her!" He said, starting to push me away from the walkers, "Go! I'll be right behind you!"

With one more push, one a bit more forceful, and I had started to run. Pashing past walkers and trees, not caring about where I was going. I heard Luke's breaths behind me and I felt pain shoot up my leg as my ankle twisted. I let out a surprised yelp, but kept moving. I pushed yet another walker out of my way before spotting a cellar. I looked behind me to she Luke catching up. I pointed it out to him and he gave a slight nod, indicating that he understood. We both dashed in there.

Once we were both in, we slammed the door's closed. A couple dead ones banged on the doors. I looked around, eventually spotting a box full of rotten apples. Luke held the doors shut as moved over and pressed the box against the wooden doors. We backed away, cautious of whether or not it was going to hold. Thankfully, they did and we were in the clear.

"Shit," Luke sharply whispered, most likely to himself. My eyebrows knitted in anger. I marched over to him and threw a punch, one he sadly dodged. He looked at me with confusion, "Hey! What the fuck?!"

"Why did you let them get that far away from us?!" I questioned, face slightly scrunching together from me trying to control my anger, "You should've watched them!"

"Me?" He said, annoyed, "What about you? You were right there with me!"

I threw my hands in the air, hating that he was right, "Your friend better take care of Clementine. I swear to god, if anything happens to her I'm going to kill you both."

"That's nice," He sarcastically muttered, "We wouldn't have even been in that predicament if you hadn't shot your gun at my friend."

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you had gotten rid of him," I defended.

He scoffed, "It would've been a lot easier to do that if you had gotten your gun away from my face."

"Just..." I growled, "Shut up!"

A brief silence past before he spoke again, "Look, I'm sorry, but we need to find some common ground here."

"And that is because...?" I asked, looking away from him.

As if on queue, another pound was made on the door. The bang echoed in the cold room.

"Because we could be stuck in here for awhile," Luke pointed out.

Realizing he was right, I sighed. Stuck in a room with a man child while worrying about Clementine, who was off with some other guy of whom I didn't even know. It was going to be _a long night._

* * *

><p><em>:Some legends are told<em>  
><em>Some turn to dust, some to gold<em>  
><em>But you will remember me, remember me for centuries"<em>

MUSIC HAS AN EFFECT ON ME!  
>I LOVE IT!<p>

BATMAN OUT ;)


	5. Leaving the Cellar

This update is slightly late, and I am sorry. :) Ill try to make sure it doesn't happen again

REVIEW TIME!

z0mb3xor: maybe... I don't know if I plan to keep the Nick/ Clem cuteness in this one. Seems irrelevant

Kristal-Dynamite: Awww Im glad you're liking it! We get to see a more softer side of her this chapter, but not by much. Love your reviews girly :)

ZeroBullet0: Love the observation! That will also be ventured into a bit. Clementine to Kat at this point is a debt returned

Carleelover: Haha no doubt :D

ONTO THE STORY!

* * *

><p>I pressed my back against the stone wall. My eyes stayed glued onto the wooden doors. There was still the occasional bang on them, suggesting the there was a walker right outside who was hoping that it's next meal would just stroll on by so tha it could rip its food open and stuff the insides between its teeth. Even though I knew it was there, I did nothing. Just kept watching the door and waiting for a safe moment to leave.<p>

My breaths came out even. Slightly loud and no doubt Luke could hear them, but I didn't care. The moon shined lightly, hitting my skin. My neck began to hurt from having it turned for so long. I had practically been standing like this since we got here, which was a couple hours ago. You could've sworn I was frozen in place.

"Hey," Luke awkwardly mumbled, looking at me, "You alright?"

I briefly narrowed my eyes at him, but it was only for a moment. He just stood there like an idiot, rubbing the back of his next and kicking his foot to the ground. To be honest, for about an hour I thought about whether or not to kill him. The truth is, the only reason I didn't is because he's the only one who knows where his dumbass friend would've gone with Clem.

It's true, I generally didn't hold love for the younger, but she was still my responsibility. I had made a promise to keep her safe. A dying wish to a man who I owed a great debt to. Perhaps I was more worried about my word then her. I actually do care for her, but that only goes as far as her mental health and her safety.

"So," Luke nervously fiddled with his hands, "Are you going to answer my question?"

"I'm fine," I said, kinda monotone and blank.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, "what're you doing?"

_Nothing dumbass. _I shrugged, "Thinking."

"What about?" He asked.

I turned my head toward him, "Do you always ask so many questions?"

"No!" He said kinda quickly and rather defensive. He fiddeled with his hands. probably scolding himself for being stupid. The light blush on his cheeks recommended that, anyway, "I mean... I don't even know your name so I thought I'd ask."

"Katjaa," I simply put in.

"Katjaa," He rolled the name around on his tongue. A small smile emerged on his face, "Can I call you Kat?"

I felt my shoulders tense up. Unintentionally, I hissed, "No!"

"fine," he held his hands up in surrender, sensing the hostility in my voice, "Fine. Just, calm down."

I growled and turn my head back to the doors. Luke paced around the room, muttering things under his breath. Eventually, he once again decided to attempt a conversation.

"So, Katjaa," he leaned his side against the wall, "Tell me about yourself."

"Not much to tell," I shrugged.

"C'mon," He said, a bit of playfulness detected in his voice, "There has to be something! Like... Clementine. Who's she?"

"Just a girl," I responded, "I met her early on into this whole thing. And I was left with her."

"Early on into this whole thing," I thought how I worded that. When I met her, I had been sitting on a hay loft and conversing with her about first grade. She made it sound exciting, like it had been a trip to Disneyland. And I played along with her, asking her questions about her teacher and friends. Back when it all seemed at least a little bit normal. When Walkers were at their minimal.

"You ever think about how you ended up here?" He asked, as if he had been reading my mind, "Who you were before all this shit?"

I straightened my back a little, and once again turned my head towards him, "I was married."

Luke knitted his eyebrows in confusion, "Rather young to get married, don't you think?"

I smirked, liking this topic at least a little bit, "And how old do you think I am?"

"I dunno, twenty five?" Luke shrugged.

I chuckled, shaking my head a bit, "Let me help. I was twenty three when I got married. After a year of marriage, I got pregnant. Three months into this whole thing, my son had been ten years old. That was a couple years ago. How old am I?"

"You had a kid?" He asked, bewildered, "Fuck! You don't look like it!"

"Thanks?" I shrugged. it's true, I did look a bit younger. Having had lost all that weight and not having wrinkles bit brighten me up a bit. The longer hair may have helped with the image as well.

Luke folded his arms, "How old did you say you were?"

"I didn't," I smirked, "Do the work."

Lukes eyes rolled to the top of his head as he did as I told him and worked on the math, "So... you're... thirty seven?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" I said, smirk still there on my face and a little bit of playfulness was hinted in my tone, "We have a winner."

"Shit," He mumbled again, "Had me fooled."

I did a small bow, "Why thank you."

A brief moment of silence greeted us, before Luke looked at the wooden doors. I noticed the banging had stopped, probably meaning the walker that was once their had found something else to eat or had just given up and left. A small smile planted over both our faces, knowing now that it was surly safe to leave. The younger picked up his machete and I took my knife out as a safety precaution. His hand reached to pull one of the handles, but I stopped him.

"Hey," I muttered, looking up at him, "I need an idea of where you think Nick would've taken Clem, in case we get separated."

Luke visibly hesitated, obviously unsure of whether he trusted me or not. Not that I blamed him, to be fair I held a gun to his head only about five hours ago. but, eventually he sharply whispered, "Just a bit up the woods is a cabin. There, there is a group of people. That's my group, tell them you know me and they'll be fine with you... well... some of them might not but they wont kill you or anything. If Nick is out there with your girl somewhere, that's where he'd take her."

I gave a slight nod, "Alright, you first."

Luke said nothing. Instead, he opened the door and readied his weapon. There were a few walkers about, just aimlessly sulking around. There was one facing way from us to my left. I snuck up behind it and quickly stabbed it in the back of the head. Safety precautions, right? One was propped by the front of the opposite door. Luke swung the sharp end into its skull and it fell limp. we both slowly walked forward, being as quiet as possible. Killing some here and there was necessary, not to big of a problem. I watched my footsteps, carful to not walk under dry leafs or small twigs. luke was just as carful. It was probably harder then him, since he's a bit clumsy and taller.

Somehow, we both had managed to go through the small cluster of them unnoticed. Luke let out a shaky breath and my heart slowed down, seeing how there was no longer a threat. We both walked in silence, not saying anything to one another. I listened to the crickets chirp in the back round and kept my breaths even. The moon was high up, probably not going to go down soon. Time had become harder to keep track since my watch broke.

SO instead I listened to the nearby noises. As I mentioned, there were the crickets, but I could also hear the running of water. I river nearby, perhaps. Luke was a lot more careless with his steps now, so the crunching of leaves were also made apparent. The sounds of my own breaths. Focusing on these types fo things have calmed me down before, hard to explain why.

"Hey, there's that cabin I told you about," Luke said after awhile, pointing ahead.

I reached up to my toes to get a better look. There was indeed a cabin.

* * *

><p>And that was chapter five!1 hope you like!<p>

please eview!

BATMAN OUT ;)


	6. Meeting the Group

HELLO!

We now have chapter 6! Cant believe im already six chapters in! I expected to be at like... four.

REVEIW TIME!

ZeroBullet0: Yep, It's heartless. It will serve a purpose, so trust me.

z0mb3xor: Oh trust me, if clem is going to cozy up to someone, it will most likely be Nick. But, this story isn't centered around Clem, but around Kat. So, if we see some Nick/Clem cuteness, it will most likely be rather light.

Guest: Love the thought there! :D Just wait, we'll get to Ken doll soon enough.

nxm-fanfiction: I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about the pairing. But I haven't come up with what's going on with them. Opinions? Love the review!

Kristal-Dynamite: Why thank you! I was a bit iffy about it. Thought it was a but ooc

Carlee lover: XD that made me laugh.

ONTO THE STORY!

* * *

><p>"I'm fine!' I insisted while trying to slap Lukes hands away from me.<p>

Luke noticed that I have been hurt a while back. Kept asking me if I was okay or if I needed help. Help that I refusedevery single time he had asked. My ankle or footer something have been twisted or harmed while Luke and I were running away from the walkers and toward the cellar. With my veterinarian skills, I could tell that my foot has at least been strained. Nothing I probably couldn't live with. Didn't hurt so muchwhile we were in the hiding spot. But that's probably because I had used it during those times. Now, I feel pain every time I watch. And of course I just can except help.

He let out a frustrated sigh and adjusted my arm around his neck, "No, you're not. You need help."

"No I don't!" I swear my voice came out as a whine, which only made my patience grow thinner then it already was.

"Yes you do."

"No. I. Don't," I spoke sternly through gritted teeth. I pushed him away, finally out of his grasp.

He put on an annoyed look, one that was etched into his face. He backed away, giving me the space I wanted. It was about time too. I felt my shoulders relax when the threat of being touched gone. I hated being touched, ever since a year ago I hated it. Luke folded his arms, pouting like a small child who was begging for ice cream, "Fine. You don't want help, then walk on your own."

I huffed (with a bit of a growl), just about done with this man-child's behavior. I looked tot he ground, bracing myself for what was yet to come. Slowly, I placed my foot flat against the earth floor. I pushed myself away from the tree (Which I was leaning on for support) and stood. I hissed at the pain that shot up my foot, but bit my bottom lip to keep Luke from noticing. I unintentionally hesitated before taking a step forward. I wobbled a bit, my brain telling mean to let my foot rest my body kept working. I took a look over it and Luke, whose eyes rested on the floor, watching my steps.

"You're limping," he said as if it weren't obvious. He reached out to me once more, "Let me help you."

"I'm fine," I snap, resisting his offer and trying to walk forward.

Luke let out a heavy breath and ran his fingers through his hair before holding his hands up and surrender, "Fine, fine. If you want to be in horrible pain, then go right ahead."

I growled before taking another step. Still biting my bottom lip, the brown haired man and I walked forward. The cabin could be horribly far,perhaps 10 to 15 minutes away. But still, every step felt like being hit by hammer. Very hard hammer. I don't know if Luke noticed this. If he did, then he hadn't said anything. Not that I wanted him too. Help is something I don't wish to accept from people. Not anymore.

We were soon at the cabin, and I know it was the right one because Clementine burst the door open and ran to me.

"Katjaa!" She sharply said at me, not so much in a scolding way. More of a concerned tone, "Are you alright!"

"Luke!" Nick also came out.

"I'm fine," I answered Clems question. I took a step back and hissed slightly.

Clem looked down at my feet, "You're hurt."

"No I'm not," I respond, straightening my back.

Luke looked over at the eleven year old, "Yes she is. Hurt her foot on the way here."

"Jesus Christ," I mumbled, probably showing my irritation, "I said I was fine for the love of all that was and still is holy!"

"Stubborn one, aint she?" Luke chuckled and turned his head toward Clem.

She returned the smile, "You have no idea."

I groaned and walked inside the cabin. I noticed Luke and Nick trail to the back as Clem and I started walking forward. Nick was freaking out about something, the sharp and frantic whispers made that apparent. I couldn't make out what he was saying though. Probably nothing important. Just expressing that he was worried for Luke. I entered the cabin and the first thing I saw was this woman. Her hair was very curly and her skin was much darker then mine. But the thing that really stuck out to me was the enormous size of her stomach.

Clearly pregnant... at least eight to nine months.

Finally peeling my eyes away from her swelling stomach, my eyes finally met her own dark brown orbs. I think she noticed my staring because she seemed angry. She opened her plump lips and spoke, "Who the hell is this?!"

"Remember that friend I mentioned?" Clementine looked up at her, "Well, Rebecca this is Katjaa."

The dark skinned woman didn't say anything. Instead, she just muttered some kinds of curse under her breath, placed her hands protectively on her stomach, and left. Someone else came up to me, some Hispanic man. He gestured for me to follow him, which I did. He led me to the front room and I sat on the couch. With a nod of permission from me, he carefully took of my shoe and examined my foot.

"I noticed you limping form a mile away," His accent filled the air, "Seems like it hurts."

A took a breath before shrugging, "Nothing I cant handle."

"Tough," Carlos sighed and gently turned my foot over, "Nothings horribly damaged. It is swollen though, so you should elevate it and give it a day or two to rest."

"She alright?" Clementine entered the room and looked at the doctor.

He nodded, "Yep. She'll be fine. She'd be better if we had a heating pad though."

A small smile took over my features. I looked up at the man. He had some white hairs hidden in the raven colored mess which rested at the top of his head. Eye's dark brown and bits of facial hair.

He stuck his hand out, "My name is Carlos. I'm the doctor around here."

"Figured," I stated, "Names Katjaa."

Before Carlos could say another word to me, Luke entered the room. His machete was off, most likely put away. Carlos left, figuring that Luke would like to speak to me in private and Clementine went to the kitchen to see if she could be given something to eat. Luke had two pillow's and blanket in his hands. he handed them all to me and I set one behind my head and the other underneath my foot and just kept the blanket over me. Luke sat on the edge of the couch.

"Feeling alright?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes, "I already told you I was fine... about five hundred times!"

"Sorry," Luke chuckled while scratching the back of his head, "I just like to check up on people. How long do you think it is till you're back on your feet?"

I looked up at him, "Don't worry, Clem and I will be out of here soon. wont overstay our welcome."

"No, its not that." Luke ran a hand over his face, "Its just... somebody showed signs of being nearby, so now we are going to be moving on soon."

"'Showing signs of being nearby'?" I quoted his words and narrowed my eyes at him, "What do you mean? Is something going on?"

"Oh," Luke looked away and tensed up a bit, as if expecting someone to attack, "Well, we just had a run in with this guy... and lets just say things didn't end well."

Clementine looked back and forth between the two of us, "Hey Katjaa, they were talking about heading north. We're going the same way, right? Well, I was thinking maybe we could... tag along?"

"What're you heading north for?" Luke asked out of curiosity.

I sighed, "I'm trying to get Clementine to Wellington."

"Wellington?" Luke rose an eyebrow, "What's that?"

"It's suppose to be a safe community," Clem answered for me with a smile, "Katjaa wants to get me there."

Luke looked back at me, "And what about you?"

"Not really built for people anymore," I smirked, light humor detected, "Just need to get clem there, then I'll be on my way."

Luke just looked at me for a second, probably judging my decision. Eventually, he just gave a light shrug, "Well you and your girl are welcome to tag along if you'd like to."

* * *

><p>Awww, don't you just love the cabin group? Back when they were all alive!<p>

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review. They really motivate me to write more!

BATMAN OUT ;)


	7. Leaving

The sound of footsteps walking across the wooden floor awoke me and I slightly opened my eyes. Only slightly though, carful not to alert anyone who could be near. Just to be safe, I slowly let my hand slither down to my boot, which is where my knife was securely tucked in. I curled my fingers around the handle when I found it, prepared to use it if needed. One more loud creak caused me to lift my eyelids, revealing my light blue orbs only for them to be greeted by a little girl. She had raven colored hair and a set of dark chocolate eyes hidden behind rose tinted glasses. She showed a resemblance to Carlos. She shyly looked away, as if being caught doing something she wasn't suppose to.

"S-sorry!" She stuttered a bit, "Did I wake you? I- I didn't mean to!"

I sat up, taking my fingers away from my weapon as I did so. My messy blonde hair tickled around my neck as I turned my head to look at her. She held a defensive position, as if expecting someone to yell at her for waking me up. She bit her bottom lip, probably a nervous habit. I turned my head to the left wall, which use to be where my clock was at my old home. Guess you never get over old habits. I looked back at the girl, a couple useless questions ringing in my head. What time was it? Why isn't she in bed? Why is she stuttering like that?

"It's fine," My voice sounded less firm then usual, most likely a side effect from just waking up.

She relaxed a bit, her shoulders much less tense and her teeth no longer held the trembling lip, "Oh, thanks. I'm Sarah!"

"Katjiaa," I narrowed my eyes at her as I greeted myself. She seemed harmless. Too harmless.

"Katjaa," She smiled, her attitude much more cheery, "That's such a pretty name!"

The compliment almost struck me as hard as a kick to the face. When was the last time I've been complimented? On purpose? Not like what Luke had done the other day, guessing my name. This was an actual compliment. And it was weird, no... surprising is a better word, at how a good and genuine it felt. But I shook it off, casing my blue eyes the other way.

"Thanks," I muttered, not to sure if she heard me. If she did, then she hadn't said anything in response. I popped my neck, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I just got up to get a drink. But I cant find them."

I stood up and looked out the window, making sure that nothing was outside and ready to attack us. I saw That boy, Nick, out there on watch, smoking a cigarette to ash. I turned back to the girl, "Shouldn't he know where they are?"

"Yeah," Her shoulders slumped as she pouted, "But he's being a big jerk!"

I looked around the room, eyes traveling everywhere for where anything useful might be. They stopped when they landed on a half full water bottle. I'm pretty sure it was meant for me, but I was in no need of it. I picked it up and handed it to Sarah, "Here, go back to bed."

"Thank you," she took it, unscrewing the cap to take a drink. She put it back on after her gulp and wiped her mouth with her arm. She started to head back upstairs with the bottle, but she looked back at me, "Hey, are you coming with us tomorrow?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "Maybe. Clementine, the girl who's with me, think that we should. And we're heading in the same direction. So maybe."

"Oh," She scratched the back of her head, "Um, well... I hope you do come! I'd like to have another person to talk to."

Before I should really respond with more then a nod of acknowledgement, she spend back upstairs. I smiled. It was a soft smile, but it was still there. I looked back outside, a visible cloud of smoke from another puff of a cigarette hit the air. I rolled my eyes. Might as well be useful while I'm here, right? I went to the kitchen and grabbed my gun from the table before walking outside.

The cool air hit my skin like thousands of tiny, little ice needles and left a trail of goose bumps on my arms and down my back, leaving a shiver to shake my spine. I looked over at Nick (Who had obviously jumped out of surprise and was now trying to play it cool) and he took another puff of his cigarette. I walked over to him, gun in hand and leaned my back against the side of the house. He rested his elbows on the wooden railings of the cabin and sighed.

"Long day?' I asked, trying to remain at least a bit hospitable.

"Yeah, guess so," He gave a slight nod. He looked back at me and held out his hand that held a lit cigarette between his pointer and middle finger, "Wanna share? I don't think I can finish it all myself."

"Sure," I shrugged, slightly hesitant. I took it from him and placed it between my lips. Now, I've never done this before, but I've seen it be done so many other times. I sucked hard so that I could see the end light. I felt the smoke fill my mouth. I took it away from my lips and blew the smoke out. Some of it even came from my noise. Once I opened my mouth I started coughing, a lot. I hunched over and coughed hard.

Nick laughed, "Ha! That was someone's first!"

"Fuck you," I gave him the finger, even though I was chuckling a bit myself. Something I'm sure he noticed because he kept giggling.

"Hmm," He hummed, an amused smile on his face as he looked back out in the distance. A slight pause took hold of us as I recovered from my coughing fit. He didn't rip his eyes away from the image of the forest, which now held a spooky theme that it was dark, as he said, "You ready to be moving out tomorrow?"

"Didn't say I was coming," I reminded him, hoping that he didn't have it in his mind that we were absolutely coming.

However he just threw a smirk at me, "Didn't have to. That's what Clem wants. It's obvious you care for her. And, you're wounded. Ankle, remember? You're going to need help."

As much as I hated it, I had to admit he had a point. Dammit.

"I guess so," I agreed. I threw the smirk right back, "And it seems Clem has grown a likeness towards you. Wouldn't want to rip that from her fingers."

"Damn straight," He chuckled again, "Nah, she's alright. Not bad company."

"Never failed me," I nodded.

He rolled his eyes, "Once again: ready to be moving out tomorrow?

I thought it over for a moment. I looked back up, "Defiantly."

* * *

><p>"Told you you'd be coming," Luke boasted as we started walking.<p>

Clementine was excited when she heard the news and immediately went to Sarah (Who I guess is now her 'best friend') with the news. They were a bit behind me, near Carlos, who couldn't let his precious daughter out of his sight. Rebecca and Alvin weren't very far away from us either. Pete and Nick were in the back of the line, talking about something that involves rifles.

"Shut up," I playfully punched his arm.

He chuckled and rubbed the area my fist made contact with, "Well, for what its worth, I'm glad you came."

"You better be, I think I'm the only one in this group who can keep you out of trouble."

"Oh," He dramatically said, "I don't know about that, Rebecca can give one hell of a scolding."

"You bet your ass I can!" Came Rebecca's reply from the back as she held a hand on her stomach.

Luke smiled before pulling a map out of his pocket and unfolding it, "Alright, I think we have about four or five days to reach those mountains."

* * *

><p>Right, so I have been neglecting this story and for that I am sorry.<p>

But I promise you will have regular updates once again. Next chapter should move the story along. I think I'll skip the five days, unless you people say otherwise. Opinions?

BATMAN OUT ;)


	8. On the Road

"Rebecca needs rest!" Alvin suddenly called from the back.

This caused everyone to turn around and look at the couple. Alvin was looking at all of us with hope and had hold of Rebecca's shoulder to help support her. The pregnant woman was hunched over and painfully putting a hand over her stomach.

"Alvin," She scolded, light pain detected in her voice, "I said I was fine."

The woman's face scrunched up in agony despite her claims of feeling alright. She gently smacked her concerned husbands rough hand away from her shoulder. I noticed her jaw stiffening, suggesting that clenching her pearly white teeth. She was more then likely frustrated or annoyed, probably even both, with all the special attention being given to her. I moved away from my spot (Which was between Clementine and Luke) and walked over to her. The look of warning she gave me hadn't gone unnoticed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked in a hushed mumble. Rebecca wasn't even suppose to hear it, so I don't know why I said it.

However, my quiet voice did reach her ears.

"I said I was fine!" She repeated with a snap for what must've been the hundredth time since we started on the road, which was three hours ago.

"Don't be snappy and dramatic," I rolled my eyes at her childish behavior before I snarled a bit out of annoyance. Before she could respond to the insults, as one might call them, I used my hand to motion to her swollen stomach, "May I?"

It was only a moment before she took half a step back and realized what I meant. Brown orbs softened yet she still held a defensive position, "What for?"

"Just to make sure everything feels normal," I assured in a surprisingly soft voice. With permission, I grabbed her hand, which was rather soft and smooth, and moved it away from her unborn child. I placed my palms on her abdomen, making sure that things were alright. Not that it seemed like there would be. I was really trying to feel a kick. Yes, I still secretly had a thing for babies. However, I couldn't just ask if I could feel. Sadly, I felt no movement. Must not be kicking at the moment, "You're fine, it's probably just regular pains."

"Told you," Rebecca narrowed her eyes at her husband.

He scratched the back of his head, "Sorry Bec, I just worry for you is all."

"Yeah, well," She stumbled around for an argument, "I'm fine so stop it."

The big man frowned, "You know I cant help it."

The two continued with their senseless bickering as I went up to Luke. Hearing the couple spit words at each other caused him to role his eyes (Along with most of the rest of us) as we continued down the trail. The distant sound of light chatter between Nick and Clem, who was playfully arguing about whether dogs or cats were better, could be heard. But not as well as the married couple behind us.

Honestly, my feelings about Rebecca were mixed.

I feel for the woman. Being pregnant, especially now, would be hard on anybody. Even in modern days. The pains, morning sickness, food cravings, and overall worry for your child tormented me while I was pregnant with Duck. All that normal stuff plus hell on earth I cant even really imagine. Kenny and I kept it to ourselves, but I was actually concerned that I was expecting while we were at the motor inn. I was beyond relief when I found out I wasn't. But Rebecca is.

What would happen? What if the baby died and was now turning inside her, waiting to rip her from the inside out? Can that even happen? What is all this stress doing to it? How is she going to do when she does give birth? Do we even have medication for the baby and Rebecca to survive? To many questions were unanswered. Nothing was sure, which was why she needed her husband.

She doesn't treat Alvin the way she should. The constant yelling between them was ridiculous and was surly not good for either of them. Alvin even avoids it. Its her whos being unreasonable.

"Hey Katjiaa," I was torn away from my thoughts by the soft voice of Clementine. I looked over to her. She was smiling and folded her arms, "Agree with me here, cats are better then dogs."

Nick shook his head, "Dog are actually pets. They help you. Cats sit around and eat your food."

"Yeah, but cats don't pounce on you and lick your face," She cringed, "Ew. Plus, a dog is more likely to bite you."

Nick scoffed, "Please. The chances of some random dog biting you are rare."

"Katjiaa," She looked back over to me, "A little help here?"

I shrugged before randomly answering, "I don't know... cats?"

"Ha!" Clementine childishly put in and boasted, "Told you!"

I heard Luke chuckle as he looked ahead. The sound of grasshoppers chirping made him look around a bit, making sure there was nothing else. And there wasn't, we were assumingly safe.

"We should make camp for the night anyway," He declared, turning around so that everyone could hear him.

Rebecca scoffed, "Luke, I said I was fine."

"This really isnt about you," Luke assured while picking up a couple of sticks, presumably to use as firewood, "It's getting dark and its not as if we have flashlights lying around. Besides, we don't want it to get horribly dark before we set up camp. Still need to find something to eat."

"There's a creek just a little ways back," Nick reminded, "Pete and I could go down and set up one of the fish traps."

Pete looked over at his nephew, "Im too old at the moment boy! Ask me ion the morning."

"Why is it you're always 'too old' when it comes to fish?" Sarah asked. It was an actual question, one that was quite innocent.

Pete smiled at her, "Because fish scales magically age you."

"Really?!" Sarah looked up to her dad even though the question was directed at Pete, who now had Sarah attention.

Pete looked back over at Nick, "Nick, you go and place those fish traps while I tell Sarah about the fish's magical powers."

Nick groaned and was ready to say something else before Clementine cut in.

"Can I go?" She asked me, a smile still on her face, "You said I was really good at catching fish."

"Ask Nick," I answered.

She did nothing but glance over to the man before he just let out a soft groan and motioned for her to follow him. She smirked before the two of them left and disappeared down the road. Nick probably wouldn't admit it out loud to anyone but Luke, but he enjoyed Clem's company for some reason. The two seemed to click. It was kinda cute actually. I don't know why Clementine likes him so much, he seems kinda depressing.

"Hey," Luke said. Hearing him caused me to turn my head towards him. As soon as my eyes landed on him he said, "Here, take a bedroll."

He tossed it at me and I caught it. I rolled it around in my hands before setting it on the ground, "Thanks."

"Yep," He simply responded while setting up a pit to make a fire.

We were both doing our own thing. He was making a place for a campfire and I was setting up my bed for the night. It was surprisingly comfy. Then again, I bet anything would be comfy to me. I haven't slept on anything other then the floor for days. Weeks even. I took my time while unrolling it and setting it down the way I wanted to. I occasionally stole glances at the younger that was only a few feet away from where I set myself.

"Hey," I called over to him.

He stopped what he was doing and shot his chocolate eye's at me, "Yeah?"

"Did I ever apologize?" I asked, doing anything but looking over at him as my cheeks heated up from embarresment, "For trying to rob you when we met?"

I heard him chuckle again, but I kept my sight on my hands, "It's alright Katjaa. I'm not dead in a ditch or anything so it's fine."

"Yeah... well... Sorry," I mumbled and started to fiddle my thumbs around, "Did I ever thank you? For taking Clem and I in_ after_ I tried to rob you?"

"Not that I remember, but I kinda took that punch on the arm as thanks," He joked, probably trying to make me feel less embarrassed.

I smiled, just to myself, "Good. Now I don't have to actually say it."

"Course not," I could image him smirking, "What would the public say?"

"Absurd things I'm sure," I finally looked up at him, feeling more comfortable now that the topic passed.

We continued light chatter for a bit. Nothing to important. Stupid stuff. Well, he talked I listened mostly. He talked about his failed business with Nick and that they had been friends for the past twenty years. He bantered on about his best friend for a bit before moving onto where he had been when the apocalypse hit. A bar no less. Who he had been before.

Wasn't long before Clem and Nick were back with food.

* * *

><p>Right, so I have decided to do two or three chapters to cover up the five days. Then plus one to cover up the whoile bridge ordeal.<p>

THEN WE SEE THE KENNY!

Not horribly please with this chaptet :/

Pete's still alive, so that should be interesting.

BATMAN OUT ;)


	9. Lightning Fires

I growled yet kept rubbing the sticks together. It feels like I've been doing this for hours, but I'm sure its really only been twenty minutes. No matter how much time has past, it's been time without success. That bothers me.

"This is taking to long," I muttered under my breath while I kept looking at my 'tools'.

"Patience," Luke smirked after he let out an amused chuckle, one I was not in the mood to hear, "You'll figure it out."

"You said that ten minutes ago," I reminded.

He just shrugged and looked around, probably making sure there was nothing around the base of camp. It's been two days and still no signs of this Carver guy they're all so scared of. The distant sound of Clementine and Nick's chatter filled my ears as well as the sound of pine needles hitting each other due to the slight wind. Carlos was sitting near his daughter and was setting up her sleeping bag for her.

And I had this stupid job.

Luke looked back over to me, "You're doing that wrong."

"Then show me how to do it right!" I snapped at him and shot daggers with my eyes.

He held a hand up in surrender, "Alright, alright! Calm down."

I rolled my eyes and he crouched down to me. With silent permission, he adjusted my grip on the stick and placed his hands over mine. I looked up at him and our eyes met.

"Right, so first of you have to go faster then that. Like this," He explained while showing me how he meant by doing the actions himself, "Just keep it like that. The flame will start itself."

I shrugged, "It seems easier to just use Clementine's lighter."

"I'm sure it is," Luke agreed with a chuckle, but still continued to hand make the fire. I let him take over and watched him start it himself. Smoke lifted to the air as his speed increased and a tiny ember flickered. When the smallest of flames lit up, he grabbed some leaves scraps of paper and plopped it onto the small fire, which wasn't so small after it spread across the new fuel. The orange and yellow jumped up and down, sending warmth to my cheeks.

"That's it?" I asked, feeling a bit stupid that I couldn't do it myself.

He smirked, "Not so hard, is it?"

That was a question I didn't want to answer.

Luke motioned for the group to come here, which most of them obeyed. Nick sat out in the shadows while everyone else circled around the campfire. Smiles overtook their faces as they reached their hands out to feel the heat. Clementine said something about roasting marsh mellows and that made Pete go off about some camping trip he went on as a boy. I couldn't really pay attention. I was focusing on Nick.

"He's going to het cold," Alvin commented when he saw where I was looking.

Luke frowned, concerned for his friend, "Hey Katjaa, do you think maybe you could convince him to get over here?"

"Why me?" I responded, annoyance detected in my voice, "What makes you think I could do that?"

"It may not seem like it, but he thinks you're decent," Pete butted into the conversation, "And that's about as good as people get around him these days. If Luke were to go over there, they probably would get in this big argument and it would last for days."

I narrowed my eyes at the older man, "Then how about you do it?"

He laughed, "If I went over there then someone would get shot!"

Luke let out a big breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I love Nick to death, but he really needs to get a little wiser."

"It comes with age," Pete joked as he started to open his pack in search for food.

"Maybe we should give him some fish scales!" Sarah grinned widely and her voce was drenched in enthusiasm, "But don't hand it to him! Hide it in his pocket or something! I bet he'd be tons wiser by the time we got to the bridge!"

Clementine made a face, "Ew, that would smell really bad!"

"Yeah," Sarah agreed, "But Nick needs to be smarter... or wiser... isn't that the same thing?"

"I don't think that really works, Sarah," the younger said, "I don't think fish scales age you."

"Yes they do!" Sarah nodded her head, her dark hair bouncing a bit as she did so, "Pete told me so! Pete, tell her! Tell her the story!"

Clementine looked over at the man, who was grinning. He set a hand on her shoulder, as if about to go into deep meaning about something. She watched him with her golden eyes.

"You see, one time I went out wishing and caught this huge fish!" He started, intentionally building up the tale. Clementine was now distracted by this, "I went out to pet it and BOOM, now I look like this."

Clem rolled her eyes, "You look like that because you're... sixty?"

"I'm not really sixty, the scales only make me appear sixty," Pete winked at her.

"Then how old are you?" Sarah asked, clearly not hearing this part.

Pete looked around, "Well, I'm actually younger then Luke."

"No way!" Both Sarah and Clem said at the same time.

As everyone (Besides the two girls) started laughing, I turned my face to hide the small smile I had on. I saw Nick out of the corner of my eyes again. I really should go get him, no need for him to freeze to death. As Pete continued his ridiculous story, I got up and made my way over to the younger man. He had his hat positioned so that it was covering his baby blue eyes and he was lazily sitting on the earth. I gave his leg a small kick in order to get his attention. He didn't do much, just sat there.

"Come to the fire," I simply said.

He moaned and hit his head against the tree he was leaning against, "Go away."

With a sigh, I crouched down in order to get a better look at him, "Are you just going to sit here all night?"

"Yep," He croaked out while moving his hand up to straighten his hat out, "Don't really feel like moving."

I was about to say something else, but the smell of alcohol on his breath stopped me. I looked back at the ground and noticed a small, brown jar. I picked it up. Empty. I lifted it up to my nose and smelled. Whiskey?

"Have..." I hesitated for some reason, "Have you been drinking?"

His lips peeled back into something between a smile and a smirk, "Mayyyybeeee."

"You're drunk," I said as if it weren't obvious, "Dammit Nick!"

He just shrugged and turned his head to the side, "Hey, what do you think of Luke?"

"Luke?" I rose my eyebrow at the off topic question, "He's... nice? Why do you ask?"

"I dunno," He closed his eyes, "I never wanted to go into business with him. He just grabbed a case of beer and said, 'Nick, we're burning daylight' and that was that."

I listened to him with my full attention, "What are you telling me this?"

"Why not?" Nick looked back at the campfire where all his group members were. I noticed the adoration in his eyes as he glanced at his best friend, "I wish I was like him... I wish I could just keep moving all the time. I'm just not... built like that."

I felt a smidge of sympathy for him, even though my still cold appearance didn't show it very well. I got myself comfortable, readying myself for a pep talk. I snapped my fingers in front of him in order to draw his attention.

"Then repair yourself," I sternly demanded, "Watch what you do, think before you act, and just keep moving. It's not that hard. If you want to survive then you have to."

"You say that like it's so easy," He replied, "How am i suppose to do that?"

Deciding to be a bit softer, I stood up and held my hand out to him, "We can start with sitting by the fire."

* * *

><p>This is one of the lamest chapters i have written in a long time XD i'm sorry! Next one will be better.<p>

Just want to say a quick thank you to littlemissnerdgirl, her review made my day :) Thank you! ANd thanks to everyone else who reviewed as well!

Please continue to do so!

BATMAN OUT ;)


	10. The Bridge

"There's the bridge!" Clementine declared while moving the binoculars around, suggesting that she was examining the whole thing. After a slight pause she continued, "There's a little house by the bridge."

Carlos made sure his daughter was comfortable in her spot before responding, "How big is it?"

"Hmmm," Clem hummed, "It's pretty small."

Luke nodded as Clementine jumped down from her spot on the boulder. The man gave her a pat on the head and she smiled big, clearly satisfied with how her job turned out. I looked up at the two of them and nudged Nick, who was right next to me.

"They're pretty cute, huh?" I asked with a small smile.

He shrugged, "Luke always did have a way with kids."

I shrugged. That did sound like him. I haven't known Luke or Nick... well, any of them for very long, but I think I have the majority figured out. Pete is that wise, old uncle I never had and Nick wishes would leave him alone. Nick is the one who I might be able to see as a brother should things run smoothly. Luke was the leader, nothing else needed to be said. Alvin was kind, but clueless. Rebecca held shame, but didn't show it. Carlos was overprotective while Sarah was innocent. It wasn't to hard to figure out. They have it written all over their faces and the only people who couldn't read it was themselves. Even Clementine has noticed it.

"I think Clementine and I could scoot low and slow," Luke spoke up so all of us could hear.

I lightly shook my head when Clementine looked my way for permission, "Clem can stay here, I'll go."

"I can handle it," Clem insisted, pouting a bit.

"I got it," I said while standing up from my position.

Nick stood up too, "I'll come too."

Luke shook his head, much like how I had done to Clem, "You stay with the group."

"I'm fine, Luke," Nick scoffed, his attitude visibly changing by the way he folded his arms and stood defensively.

I looked back at the two idiots standing behind me and rose an eyebrow, "Why cant Nick tag along?"

"Yeah," Nick agreed, "There a problem, Luke?"

"No!" He didn't hesitate to answer and actually looked quite surprised by how we reacted, "Of course there isn't a problem! It's-"

Before Luke could say another word, I put a smirk on before reaching out to give Nick a small tug and started to lead him down to the bridge with me, "Good! Glad that could be settled! Now lets go!"

I think I heard Luke give something of a groan before turning to follow us. Clementine and Sarah were giggling at what had just happened while Pete was rolling his eyes. Nick gave me a small smile of appreciation and I acknowledged it with a nod. One of my hands came up to play with a strand of my hair and Luke looked around for any signs of trouble. Luke looked like he wanted to say something, but was uncomfortable (Or at least unwilling) to say it in front of Nick.

I wonder what's going on between the two of them. Luke treats Nick like a ticking time bomb. Acts like he's becoming a liability to the group by simply being there, but Nick can clearly hold his own. Luke underestimates his friend and doesn't treat him as he should. Nick on the other hand just has his silent adoration for the other. He wants to be like Luke, because he considers Luke near perfect. Despite these thoughts, he rages at Luke when he has one of his anger strides. Maybe Nicks jealous of Luke, and simply doesn't know how to get over it.

But of course, I was ripped from my thoughts when walker growling hit my ears.

I looked ahead and saw one just standing around while another one was a couple feet away, munching on a rabbit or something. Luke gave us a small look, just to see if we had noticed them. I showed that I had by reaching down to take the knife out of my boot and Nick had a firm hold of his rifle in case of an emergency. Luke grabbed the handle of his machete and pointed to the one on the right, indicting that's the one he wanted.

"Right," He cleared his throat, readying himself to give an order, "I'll get the big one, and you get shorty. Nick you stay back here and be ready to shoot if anything happens."

"Alright," Nick mumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at Luke, "I've got the big one."

Luke rose an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I scoffed, a bit of a chuckle hidden in my voice, "This'll be easy as cake. "

"Alright," he muttered, but watched me carfully as we inched closer to the living corpses. Probably just making sure that I was fine. I would usually yell at someone for underestimating me like that, but I didn't want to cause more trouble then needed.

I made quick work to stab the walker in the head, feeling it struggle and squirm for a moment before it fell limp. Luke forced the razor sharp edge of his machete into the other one's skull. Splatters of blood landed on our cheeks and we slipped our blades out from their heads. Nick remained clean of the blood and we started walking forward.

* * *

><p>I hunched over as I panted for breath. Fuck... that wore me out. There had to have been at least eight more walkers on the bridge and they all came for us. Part of the bridge gave in and collapsed as Luke stepped on it, and he had been stuck. Nick and I moved like crazy to try and help him while fighting on the undead. Nick had to shoot his gun at one that almost got the jump on me. The shot concerns me, surly it rang out for miles.<p>

"Hey," Luke hesitantly put a hand on my back, which I nudged off me, "You alright?"

I took another deep breath, "Yeah... yeah totally."

"You sure?" Nick walked over, yet did not touch me.

I just nodded in response and looked up. My eyes landed on Luke, but I could've sworn I saw something behind him. My eyebrows knitted together as I softly pushed him out of the way (And of course he reached out for me in case I needed support or something). My sight landed on a man, carrying a rifle. I pointed him out to the two men in front of me. I notice Nick tense up and grip his rifle a bit better, most likely not fond of the stranger. Luke just got this look on his face and put his hand on his hips.

"What do you do?" Nick mumbled.

Luke shrugged, "I don't know, just don't piss him of.

I rolled my eyes. Amateurs, "You guys just shut up and let me do the talking."

much to my surprise, they didn't argue. They just told me to keep Carver out of my vocabulary and that's it. The man walked closer and I took a step forward myself. The two idiots followed behind me as I continued on. I eventually came to a halt and folded my arms. The man stopped as well. A small period of silence slipped in.

"Well," He shouted up at us, "Who are you?"

"Who's asking?" I yelled back, making sure my voice sounded firm.

"I am!" he relaxed his grip on his gun, yet kept a strong voice as he crept closer, "Huh, you don't look like assholes. Are you assholes?"

I smirked at his choice of words, "I'm not an asshole."

"You calling me an asshole?" Luke smiled and looked down at me.

Nick rolled his eye, 'Luke, we all know you're an asshole."

The man ahead of us laughed, now with his rifle handing by his side. Even I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips. The man, who I could now see was Asian and had a blue jacket on, now was visibly comfortable with us.

"You folks heading up north like everyone else?" He asked. I was about to respond, but he shook his head, "I'm sorry, my name is Mathew."

"Katjiaa," I introduced myself and pulled my hand out to shake his, "And the two behind me are Nick and Luke.

"Hey," He smiled and waved, something only Luke returned as Nick kept glaring at him, "What are you guys doing all the way out here?"

I shrugged, trying my best to seem casual, "Just moving. Nowhere in general."

"A lot of people heading up north," He said while scratching the back of his neck.

I don't know how long the four of us talked. Maybe a couple minutes, before Luke suggested that Nick leaves to go tell the group it's safe. Mathew offered to take us up to the lodge, where his own group was staying. I was hesitant with the way he welcomed arms so easily, but Nick talked me into it.

"I don't know," I folded my arms, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

He smirked, "Oh c'mon Katjiaa, whats the worse that can happen?"


End file.
